Confessions of a newbie traveler

As I sit here in the VIP Thalys Executive Business lounge at the Brussels train station, I reflect on a few lessons I’ve recently learned on my trip.

1) Flirting will get you EVERYWHERE in life (and especially in Europe)….. even if you’re not supposed to be there (i.e. the VIP Thalys Executive Business lounge at the Brussels train station). It will also get you a photo with the Buckingham Palace guard, free entry to the (otherwise paid) Royal Observatory square), and discounts at Irish national parks.

1.5) I also think that business perks are mainly reserved for men in Europe – as I’m literally the only female in here. My laptop definitely looks out of place among their boring blacks. However this is the only heated place in the train station that has cushioned chairs, ambient music, and a fancy coffee machine. I win.

2) When in doubt – follow everyone else. How many times have I gotten off a train/tube/bus and had no idea where I was going… but for the most part, everyone else seems to. This hasn’t steered me wrong yet… though I’m not hedging my bets.

3) A good sense of direction is KEY to surviving in foreign countries. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If you turn left four times, you will end up where you started. And regardless of how tourist-ish it makes you look, carry the damn map they gave you at the airport. You will need it.

4) No matter what side of the road you’re walking on in the UK, you will always feel like you’re moving against the flow of traffic.

5) No matter what side of the road you look at when you’re crossing the street in the UK, you will nearly get hit by a car more than once. Be prepared to sprint.

6) A great way to get someone’s attention when you have no idea what to do, is to look around completely lost. Turns out, “confused Canadian girl” act is quite effective at getting assistance/directions/advice, etc.

7) You will often find yourself smiling, from ear to ear, whilst sitting alone in a random spot (i.e. a cafe in Greenwich) because of a random text message someone special took the time to send to you. People will think you’re crazy, but it won’t matter – as these little gestures will totally warm your heart and remind you of how loved you are.

8) Sometimes you need to get caught in the rain in order to appreciate something you wouldn’t have otherwise stopped to notice.

9) London Eye tickets will not let you out of the Tube. Jeremy and Jack will appreciate this far more than anyone else.

10) We are SO unbelievably lucky to speak the most popular language in the world. I’ve been in Brussels for all of 2.2 seconds and it’s already strange that nothing is written in English. This is where I stand up and applaud all the French teachers I had growing up – all the pamplemousse games and the silly songs about bonhommes – thank you. I actually knew how to find my way off the platform and into the Thalys lounge.

11) MOVE FAST. Whether you’re running for a train, racing down the stairs for the Tube, or trying to get through the maze known as Heathrow. Move fast. You will make mistakes that will require the extra time.

12) Best feeling in the world: getting on the Tube by yourself for the first time and realizing you were right in plotting your course when the woman’s voice announces the next stop as being the one you were expecting it to be. The same smile that silently crept across my face when I first saw land in the Isle of Skye from my flight into London reappeared yesterday on the Tube when I realized I was capable of getting to where I wanted to go (which at the time was Greenwich). This also relates to #7 – just for different reasons.

13) If you’re staying at Parkwood Marble Arch, on the 4th floor, up 80 stairs, “In Case of a Fire…… you’re fu#&%ng screwed”. This is to quote Jeremy, who helped me check into my place in London, carry my bag up 80 stairs, and was so kind as to review emergency procedures in the brochure they provided. And I quote….. “In Case of a Fire….. well, in case of a fire, you’re fu#&%ng screwed”. And he proceeded to evaluate the situation from my 4th storey window in case I had to jump. Thanks, Jeremy.

14) Street meat in Dublin is not the same thing as street meat in Toronto. Even after the bar at 3 a.m. when everything should taste good. It is not.

15) Cab drivers are among the most intelligent people I’ve ever met. Like Amanda Marshall said … Don’t assume everything on the surface is what you see…. cause that taxi-driver’s got a Ph.D. I’ve had some intense pop culture lessons from bus drivers in Dublin, serious history lessons from cab drivers in Dublin, and riveting political debates with cab drivers in London. Seriously – among the best conversations I thought I’d ever have.

16) Accents are hot.

17) No matter how comfortable you think your shoes are, your feet will hurt.

18) Bobby pins quickly become a luxury.

As my train boards in 15 minutes, I suppose I’ll end this here.  – with more to come!

Love,

Maybe a now-not-quite-so-newbie traveller